Erik ten Hag supports Marcus Rashford amid criticism: Details here
Manchester United's manager, Erik ten Hag, has expressed his support for Marcus Rashford following recent criticism. The Dutchman defended the English forward after he ended a goal drought by scoring in a 3-0 victory over Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday at St Mary's. This was Rashford's first goal since March when he netted against Liverpool in the FA Cup. Here are further details.
Ten Hag dismisses external criticism of Rashford's performance
Ten Hag dismissed the criticism Rashford faced following Manchester United's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League before the international breaks, two weeks ago. The manager argued that such negativity was unwarranted. "It's very important we don't pay attention to what the outside world is saying but there was too much negativity to him," he said in a presser. He further emphasized that Rashford had created two significant opportunities in that match and has performed well throughout this season.
Ten Hag praises Rashford's work ethic and goal-scoring ability
The Manchester United boss commended Rashford for his hard work leading to the goal against Southampton. He stated, "He deserved that goal [against Southampton] but he had to work for it. That is what he is doing and then you get a reward." Ten Hag also expressed confidence in Rashford's future scoring potential, drawing on an analogy previously used by Cristiano Ronaldo about a ketchup bottle.
Ten Hag anticipates more goals from Rashford
Ten Hag anticipates that Rashford will continue to score for Manchester United. He stated, "Once a striker was talking about a ketchup bottle, once it's going, it's coming more." The manager further added, "For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list. Once the first is in, more is coming." This statement underscores his belief in Rashford's ability to maintain his scoring momentum.
Ten Hag lauds de Ligt's performance in recent match
In addition to Rashford, Matthijs de Ligt also received praise from ten Hag for his performance in the recent match against Southampton. De Ligt scored Man United's opener from Bruno Fernandes' cross. Despite a challenging international break, de Ligt managed to score and was named Player of The Match. Ten Hag expressed satisfaction with his performance and anticipates further improvement as he regains full fitness and speed.
84 Premier League goals for Rashford
Making his 276th Premier League appearance, Rashford has raced to 84 goals (A39). Overall, this was Rashford's 132nd goal for Man United in all competitions. Rashford has equalled former Premier League ace Carlos Tevez in terms of Premier League goals (84). As per Squawka, Rashford scored his first league goal since March, ending a run of 12 games in all competitions without a goal.
